The Complex World of Organic Certification in Italy

Organic wines would be much more widespread in Italy if legislation and organizing entities were more unified, producers say. In my talks with wine producer over the years, certain themes keep popping up: the expense of certification and the length of the time needed to be certified, but the confusing number of certifying entities is perhaps the most prominent reason winemakers choose to forgo the process. Each one has different standards, and it is not always clear where those practices fit in with EU and US regulations.

At this year’s Vinitaly wine fair in Verona, there were two different areas for wines that are organically certified, sustainably farmed or biodynamic – a good sign of the confusion within the Italian wine community. One of them, FederBio, is an organizing entity while the other, Vivit, hosted a plethora of wineries using diverse certifications. Vivit has been part of the Vinitaly fair for three years and was by far the more crowded pavilion this year.

FederBio itself is made up of a large number of certifiers – Bios, Ccpb EcoGruppo, Icea, Qcertificazini, Sidel, and Suolo and Salute, among others. The group claims land used for organic vineyards, and those in the process of converting, increased 15.8% in 2013. The number of wineries participating also increased 16.5%. Clearly there is a desire to produce more organic wines. Italy is already the third largest producer of organically grown grapes in Europe after Spain and France.

There was also a third area at the fair dedicated to more “natural practices,” called Free Wine, made up of wineries that were reducing the amount of sulfites added to their wines.

For many years there have also been two well-known wine fairs that coincide with Vinitaly – Vin Natur and Vini Veri. It was only three years ago that Vinitaly decide to host an area dedicated to more natural wine practices. Vin Natur showcases Italian and foreign natural wines. Vini Veri defines itself not as either organic or biodynamic, but have strict rules about chemical use, mandate using indigenous grape varietals and insist on hand harvesting.

Italian wineries would benefit from more clear guidelines on how to become organic – the demand is already there. Italy is already the second largest exporter of organic wines into the Unites States, and as Americans continue to look for organically produced wines, Italy’s organic winemaking has incentive to thrive and grow.

[…] FederBio itself is made up of a large number of certifiers – Bios, Ccpb EcoGruppo, Icea, Qcertificazini, Sidel, and Suolo and Salute, among others. The group claims land used for organic vineyards, and those in the process of converting, increased 15.8% in 2013. The number of wineries participating also increased 16.5%. Clearly there is a desire to produce more organic wines. Italy is already the third largest producer of organically grown grapes in Europe after Spain and France. To keep reading the rest of this article, please click here for the Organic Wine Journal. […]